Saoirse Ronan is digitally transported into a century of Irish films to launch the IFI Irish Film Archive Preservation Fund – a major new initiative to secure the future of Ireland’s film heritage.

The IFI Irish Film Archive is custodian of one of Ireland’s most remarkable resources – our nation’s film. The IFI collection spans over one hundred years of stories from everyday life to the great achievements of Ireland’s filmmakers on the global stage. Collectively this material tells Ireland’s cultural, social and political life over the last century… as well as a record of Irish film culture.

Our archive building in Temple Bar has reached capacity. Critically, we cannot accept any more material, meaning that precious collections are in danger of being lost. We crucially need to build a new Preservation Centre and therefore have developed an innovative partnership which allows us to do this on campus at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

We need your helpThe IFI Irish Film Archive Preservation and Research Centre at NUIM is ready to go, and was on track for completion in 2011. Because of recent funding cutbacks our planned delivery of the new custom-built Centre has been stalled until we raise funds to meet the shortfall in our budget. So we are asking the film community, our friends and partners to help us collectively fund the shortfall of €300,000 by Spring 2012, thereby enabling us to realise the IFI Irish Film Archive Preservation and Research Centre, save this national treasure, and ensure that future generations can continue to learn from, and enjoy, Ireland’s moving image heritage.